"Tsunade… no!..Godmother. Long time no see."
"You little menace! First time I meet you in the real world, and you want to get punched?!"
"Hey, weren't you way calmer in the dream world? Why the instant violence now?"
"Cut it out! If I hadn't been stuck powerless in that dream, you think I would've let you push me around?!"
"Well then… maximum affinity unlocked. Buying it now. Tsunade affinity: 300."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"You brat. Time to settle accounts."
"Whoa, whoa..wh... real world pain hits different than dream world pain!"
"Maybe think about consequences before messing with someone."
Ethan turned.
"Mei Terumi. What's your verdict on me?"
Mei folded her arms.
"Shameless. For someone in charge, you're scraping the bottom of the barrel."
"Harsh. Fine then… split-tier affinity boost. Redeem."
Mei blinked.
"…Huh? Why do you suddenly seem… slightly less unbearable?"
"Actually… thinking about it, maybe you weren't completely hopeless."
A familiar voice called out:
"Ethan, hurry up and let me out! It's been years!!!!!.. we seriously need to catch up~."
"Why are you acting all distant? You're basically my-"
"…Hold on. The Koga Ninja Scrolls? What are those doing here?"
"…Whatever. Guess this universe runs on crossover logic."
While everyone else is still relying on traditional ninjutsu, my group has already prepared an air squad for deployment.
.
.
.
.
.
Land of Wind: Sand Village
Ethan stood at the window, hands clasped behind his back.
Endless dunes stretched into the horizon. Dry heat shimmered. Wind-blasted sand struck the glass in sharp, rapid taps.
He sighed.
Honestly… he couldn't decide if he'd hit the jackpot or drawn the worst possible card.
He'd been dropped into the Naruto world.
Specifically…
Into the body destined to become the Fourth Kazekage-Rasa.
On paper, that beat his old life.
Back then, it was endless overtime, fake "team spirit" cleanup duties, and a paycheck that barely covered rent.
And come on...Naruto's world had no shortage of stunning kunoichi.
He should have been thrilled.
He wasn't.
Why?
He looked down at his hands.
Calluses. Writer's grip. Office-worker hands.
Yeah.
He hadn't inherited Rasa's actual combat ability.
Only the title.
The reputation.
The face that now appeared in every official portrait.
To the world, he was Rasa.
Inside?
Just some random modern guy.
An academy student could probably wreck him.
No hidden system.
No cheat skill.
No sudden god-tier chakra.
Nothing.
Sure, he had a dirty mind.
But he also had survival instincts.
Hard to enjoy fantasy-world perks when literally any genin could send you to the Pure Land.
Step one: survive.
Fun could come later.
A knock interrupted his spiral.
Instead of rushing as his old corporate self would have, he steadied his voice.
"Come in."
"Lord Rasa, it's me."
A gentle young woman's voice.
He relaxed.
His… technically sister-in-law.
He opened the door.
Heat rolled in instantly.
A blonde girl...maybe sixteen or seventeen, stood outside. Sand forehead protector. Pale skin. Nervous expression.
His gaze dipped for half a second.
He forcibly shut that down.
Focus. Survival first. Degeneracy later.
"What's wrong, Yashalei?"
Yes.
In this timeline, Yashamaru, canonically male, was female.
And, frankly…
A solid nine out of ten.
When he'd inherited Rasa's memories, most events matched canon.
But some details were… wildly off.
Like Yashamaru being a beautiful girl.
Or the fact that this version of Rasa had zero romantic entanglements, lived like a monk, and cared about nothing but training.
Stronger than canon Rasa at this age.
Social life?
Nonexistent.
Honestly, Ethan considered that extremely convenient.
Yashalei hesitated.
"Lord Rasa… Lady Chiyo and Lord Ebizo request your presence at the Kazekage's office. They say it's urgent."
Chiyo?
Urgent?
And calling him directly?
Ethan skimmed through Rasa's memories.
Nothing scheduled.
No crisis.
So why summon him personally… instead of reporting through the current Kazekage?
A chill crept up his spine.
"Lord Rasa?" she asked softly.
"I'm fine. If it's urgent, let's go."
They hurried through the village.
Civilians greeted him.
He returned nods automatically.
Soon they reached the office.
Yashalei knocked, announced him, then shut the door behind him.
Inside:
More than twenty elite Jonin.
The village's strongest.
Chiyo sat at the center, elderly but still sharp.
Ebizo stood beside her.
Across the room...
A tall kunoichi with a green bun and orange bangs.
Pakura.
The Scorch-Release user who barely appeared in canon.
In person?
Anime proportions were… dangerously real.
He took the last empty seat.
Right next to her.
Chiyo lifted her hand.
Every window slammed shut.
Doors sealed.
The room darkened.
Her voice rasped like dry wind over parchment.
"The Third Kazekage… and both of his personal guards… disappeared this morning."
"The search teams have covered the entire village."
"No sign of them anywhere."
Shock exploded across the room.
Whispers. Shouting. Disbelief.
Ethan?
He just exhaled slowly.
Exactly what he expected.
If Chiyo and Ebizo were bypassing the Kazekage and assembling elite Jonin…
Only one event fits.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage.
The moment that would ignite the Third Great Ninja War.
Pakura glanced sideways at him.
Everyone else looked shaken.
He sat perfectly calm.
Almost like…
He already knew what was coming.
---